Archive for September 2010

My partner Kevin (AKA Mr Potato-Head) is a meat and potatoes man. He could eat potatoes until they sprouted out his ears. Me, I can take or leave ’em. I guess it stems from my childhood trauma of “KP duty”. We had to have potatoes for dinner practically every night and they had to be peeled. Guess who’s job it was to peel the potatoes? Mine and with a large family to feed, that’s a hell of a lot of potatoes. As I get older those childhood chores are distant memories and I’m beginning not to mind things I hated in the past like peeling potatoes. So today I peeled potatoes and made some delicious home-made Cream of Potato Soup with Ham. Yum Yum!

Here’s the recipe:

5-6 medium potatoes cut into chunks

1/2 cup of chopped onions

2 cloves of garlic

1 cup of chicken broth

1 cup of water

5 tablespoons of butter

3/4 cup of sour cream

3/4 cup of heavy cream

1 cup of chopped ham

1 tablespoon of minced chives

salt & pepper to taste

Boil the potatoes, onions & garlic in the water & chicken broth until done. Allow to cool for 5 minutes and then pour into a food processor. Add the butter, sour cream & heavy cream, then process until the desired consistency is reached. You can add more water or even milk, if needed. Pour the processed cream of potatoes back into your pot; add ham, chives, salt & pepper to taste. Then heat to serving temperature, spoon in to bowl, garnish with grated cheddar or munster cheese and parsley and serve with fresh baked home-made bread. This is the perfect Autumn meal. Enjoy!

Last night a fox got into our chicken coop and took all 12 of my chickens. Needless to say, I am heartbroken and feeling guilty that I should have protected them better. Who would have ever thought that chickens could become pets?!? Those lovely Red Star Hens taught me that chickens have their own unique personalities and with tender loving care can become affectionate pets who learn their names, come when you call them and crave attention. In loving memory of Red, Amelia, Wilma, Lucy, Blondie, Henrietta, Miss Adventure, Golden Girl, Blanche, Sophia, Florence and Pebbles; I am reposting my original post of “Hanging With My Peeps”

Part of our goal in having more control over the food we eat is to raise chickens. Those of you who know me are well aware that I’ve always hated chickens with a passion and vowed I would never ever raise chickens. It stems from childhood when my dad decided we should have chickens since we had a chick coop on our farm. All I really remember is my mother sending us kids out the coop to collect eggs and opening the door to have hundreds of chickens (well it seemed like hundreds but it was only a few) fly into our faces. They were mean, nasty, dirty birds that even my mother hated, but she solved that problem, we had them for dinner. So what made me change my mind about raising chickens? Research! I searched for a way to keep insects and weeds under control in my garden. The answer was chickens.

We started with 6 Red Star chicks which are so darn cute, you can’t help but love ’em. Currently they are living in a crate in my living room until they are fully feathered and can go outside into the real world. Next I purchased 6 fully grown Red Star hens that are approximately 1 year old. These girls immediately helped me over come my life long hatred of chickens by being so calm, sweet and friendly. Who knew chickens could be so friendly? They come when I call them and love to follow me around the garden. In just a few days they went from being chickens to being pets. I have even named them (Red, Blondie, Amelia, Henrietta, Wilma and Lucy).